The FBI has launched an investigation into a report that an unmanned drone was seen flying around the John F. Kennedy airport in New York.

The FBI has launched an investigation into a report that an unmanned drone was seen flying around the John F. Kennedy airport in New York.

An Alitalia pilot said he spotted the drone about three miles from a runway on Monday and reported it to air traffic controllers. He said the drone was flying roughly 1,750ft in the air and was just 200ft away from his aircraft.

The drone was reportedly just 3.3ft wide with four propellers and was painted black, a colour not usually employed on the drones that have been photographed to date.

The news will heighten concern following leaked memos of a draft legal framework authorising the US government to use drones against its own citizens. This has been widely criticised, but the CIA director nominee John Brennan has defended the idea, stating that such attacks are “a last resort.”

The reported sighting will make people wonder if this was a government drone sent out to kill someone, if it was a routine mission, or if it belonged to someone else entirely. Even if it was not on the hunt, its proximity to other aircraft could have posed a safety risk.

The aircraft might also have been a hobby plane, according to the BBC, but rules set out by the US Federal Aviation Administration prohibit these from being flown at higher than 400ft.

The FBI asked for anyone with knowledge of this aircraft or its operator to contact it.